Top 10 Pokémon returning in The Teal Mask – Scarlet and Violet DLC

Trainers have been waiting quite a while for some new Pokémon to come in and shake the meta. Prior to the release of the Teal Mask DLC, big names from the Scarlet and Violet era had a chokehold on Pokémon for several months, especially the likes of Chien Pao, Kingambit, and Gholdengo. Here are all the best returning Pokémon included in the Teal Mask DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Best Pokémon returning in The Teal Mask - Scarlet and Violet DLC

10: Milotic

Outside of Toxapex, there isn't too much competition for Milotic in terms of bulky Water-types in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. The thing that sets Milotic apart from other walls like Quagsire and Toxapex is its decent Special Attack stat (100 at base). This means it can KO nearly all the Dragons in the current meta with a strong Ice Beam.

9: Kommo o

Kommo-o may have lost his special Z move, but he gained something extra with Terastallizing. Now, Kommo-o can get rid of that annoying x4 weakness to Fairy, allowing defensive sets like Iron Defense and Body Press to be a lot more potent. Substitute and Belly Drum paired with Salac Berry could also make a comeback, especially to break through Garganacl and Corviknight.

8: Incineroar

VGC players got to enjoy a meta without Incineroar. Following the Teal Mask DLC's release, however, the Intimidate cat has made a return. There are so many strong physical attackers that it's impossible to see Incineroar not get used just for Intimidate. Some of these threats have tools to deal with Incineroar, though, like Sacred Sword on Chien Pao or Earthquake on Baxcalibur.

7: Mamoswine

Thanks to all the Dragons popping up in the meta, Mamoswine is in a great place to start firing off Ice Shards. Access to Earthquake also makes it very useful for dealing with Garganacl, Toxapex, and Clodsire.

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6: Gliscor

With Tera, Gliscor can shed its 4x weakness to Ice. This can be pretty deadly, as it allows Gliscor to turn around bad matchups against Baxcalibur and Chien Pao with Tera Water. Aside from that, Gliscor is still one of the best Toxic stallers in the game and can Knock Off the Pokémon that it can't poison.

5: Venusaur

The Sun team has had a pretty interesting experience in Generation IX. It used to be really popular with Great Tusk's and Roaring Moon's Protosynthesis, but then players realized Scovillain didn't really make the cut as a good sweeper. With Venusaur coming back, though, Sun players will have a great Chlorophyll sweeper and enough strong wallbreakers to pair with it.

4: Infernape

The current meta is great for strong Mach Punch users, as it's a useful tool for revenge-killing Baxcalibur, Roaring Moon, Chien Pao, Kingambit, Greninja, and Hisuian Samurott. Infernape brings Mach Punch to the table along with Fire-type coverage for Corviknight and Amoongus. I personally think offensive sets on Infernape will be more popular than Stealth Rocks because it can't compete with Great Tusk, who is the best rocks setter in the game.

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3: Blaziken

Blaziken will be strong for many of the same reasons as Infernape. The difference is that, instead of using Mach Punch, Blaziken can simply outspeed most threats with Speed Boost. This makes Blaziken a great Tera Pokemon since it can go Tera Electric for Toxapex, Moltres, and Slowbro.

2: Serperior

The Terastallization mechanic is exactly what Serperior has needed. This beloved starter evolution used to be held back by its lack of coverage moves. In Generation IX, though, Serperior can use Tera Fire to break through Amoongus and Corviknight or Tera Ground to break through Heatran. Any remaining threats will likely go down to Leaf Storm.

1: Clefable

Trainers should be very afraid of what Clefable can do in a Tera meta. The Unaware ability will make it a natural check against Swords Dance Chien Pao and Baxcalibur. Trainers can also use Magic Guard to soak up status effects and hazards from Great Tusk and Glimmora. With access to Tera Fire, though, Clefable can get surprise KOs against Gholdengo and Kingambit.

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